sunbeam
(redirected from SUNBEAMS)Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Encyclopedia.
sun·beam
(sŭn′bēm′)n.
A ray of sunlight.
[Middle English sunnebem, from Old English sunnebēam (translation of Late Latin columna lūcis, pillar of light) : sunne, sun; see sun + bēam, tree, building post; see beam.]
Word History: Though the period of European history from the 5th to the 11th century is often called the Dark Ages, writers and scholars of the time in fact did much to preserve and extend the light of civilization. A minor but felicitous contribution to the English language from this period is the word sunbeam, which is believed to have entered English in the 9th century through the work of Alfred the Great. A scholar as well as a king, Alfred undertook and oversaw the translation of a number of Latin works into the English of his time, now known as Old English. Among these was The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, a work composed by the Venerable Bede. The Latin phrase columna lūcis, which we would today translate as "a column of light," occurs several times in this work. Since the Old English translator did not have the word column in his vocabulary, he used bēam, which meant "a tree" or "a building post made from a tree" (our modern word beam). Columna lūcis thus became sunnebeām, or "sun post," which survives as our sunbeam. Though perhaps less stately than "column of light," sunbeam has brightened our language. From it the word beam alone came to mean "a ray or rays of light"; it subsequently also became a verb meaning "to radiate."
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
sunbeam
(ˈsʌnˌbiːm)n
1. (Physical Geography) a beam, ray, or stream of sunlight
2. (Cookery) slang Austral a piece of crockery or cutlery laid for a meal but remaining unused
ˈsunˌbeamed, ˈsunˌbeamy adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sun•beam
(ˈsʌnˌbim)n.
a beam or ray of sunlight.
[before 1000]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  sunbeam - a ray of sunlight light beam, ray, ray of light, beam of light, shaft of light, irradiation, beam, shaft - a column of light (as from a beacon) |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
شُعاع شَمْسي
sluneční paprsek
solstråle
napsugár
sólargeisli
slnečný lúč
güneş ışını
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
sun
(san) noun1. the round body in the sky that gives light and heat to the earth. The Sun is nearly 150 million kilometres away from the Earth.
2. any of the fixed stars. Do other suns have planets revolving round them?
3. light and heat from the sun; sunshine. We sat in the sun; In Britain they don't get enough sun; The sun has faded the curtains.
verb – past tense, past participle sunned – to expose (oneself) to the sun's rays. He's sunning himself in the garden.
ˈsunless adjective without sun, or lacking sunlight. a sunless room.
ˈsunny adjective1. filled with sunshine. sunny weather.
2. cheerful and happy. The child has a sunny nature.
ˈsunniness nounˈsunbathe verb
to lie or sit in the sun, especially wearing few clothes, in order to get a suntan.
ˈsunbeam noun a ray of the sun.
ˈsunburn noun the brown or red colour of the skin caused by exposure to the sun's rays.
ˈsunburned, ˈsunburnt adjectivesunburnt faces.
ˈsundial noun a device, usually in a garden, for telling time from the shadow of a rod or plate on its surface cast by the sun.
ˈsundown noun (especially American) sunset.
ˈsunflower noun a type of large yellow flower with petals like rays of the sun, from whose seeds we get oil.
ˈsunglasses noun plural glasses of dark-coloured glass or plastic to protect the eyes in bright sunlight.
ˈsunlight noun the light of the sun. The cat was sitting in a patch of sunlight.
ˈsunlit adjective lighted up by the sun. a sunlit room.
ˈsunrise noun the rising of the sun in the morning, or the time of this.
ˈsunset noun the setting of the sun, or the time of this. the red glow of the sunset.
ˈsunshade noun a type of umbrella for sheltering a person from the sun; a parasol.
ˈsunshine noun1. the light of the sun. The children were playing in the sunshine.
2. cheerfulness or happiness.
ˈsunstroke noun a serious illness caused by being in very hot sunshine for too long.
ˈsuntan noun a brown colour of the skin caused by exposure to the sun. I'm trying to get a suntan.
catch the sun to become sunburnt.
under the sun in the whole world. I'm sure that he must have visited every country under the sun.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.